Lantana
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Movie Reviews of Lantana
Movie Review: A surprising and compelling movie
Summary: 5 Stars
Lantana is a movie of relationship. The major characters in the movie are intertwined with each other by unexpected circumstances, but their relationships are enriching the whole plot in a way that you will have surprises that hang you on to the movie. It adopts a bit of American Beauty mood at the start, but when the film moves on, its own character and style comes out beautifully. The major characters are two cops, the wife of one of the cops, their kids, a guy looking for a job, his wife and his kids, a psychiatrist, her husband, a separated woman, her husband, and a gay patron of the psychiatrist. They all have their very unique characters and ways of handling things. Throughout the whole film, you can feel the emotions and turns of every single character. It is one of the best acted Australian film in the recent years. The mood is heavy but you will really care for how their relationships would evolve and develope at the end. The only discount to the movie is the last bit after the whole story ended, there is a dancing scene which was there for the soundtrack to be finished (or otherwise), which is a bit too much for the whole movie. Anyway, this doesn't not spoil the whole movie on the whole. Lantana is a big winner in the AFI Awards in Australia, the acting is spectacular and natural, if you want to look for real acting, this is the movie that you should go for.Movie Review: Searing!
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie is searing in that it is brutally honest! The fear inherent in our world, causes suspicion and distrust which gets in the way of having healthy loving relationships. There is one scene at the end that touched me almost as much as the sister to the main character in Bread and Roses did. Anthony La Paglia's acting ability is enormous. He is not seen that often in American films but he is definately one of the best actors around! I just saw him in The Bank and his acting is just as good. The movie revolves around several different characters and how they connect together and either disconnect or become closer. It has an Altman edge to it but without all the busyness. The movie is clear cut but is heavy with deeper meanings thread into its fabric. Another really good actor is the wife of La Paglia. I have not seen her before or not that I can remember but she is definately endowed with great acting ability! The distrust each character feels shows an emptiness or hole in their personal lives which spreads into their jobs. It spreads just like the plant which is named for the movie. Lantana was brought to Australia and grows out of control. It shows the plant often in the movie. A must see for someone who enjoys movies that prompt growth and discussion. No comedy in this movie, a very serious drama, that really reflects much of society today!Lisa Nary
Movie Review: A MUST-WATCH GEM
Summary: 5 Stars
I'll start with the name. Lantana is an aggressive weed shrub that grows in Australia and its prickly vines smother any other bushes around it. It looks beautiful from the outside (as shown in the opening shots of the movie) but is noxious under its dense cover. What a fitting metaphor for almost every character in the movie, people who seem deceptively normal on the surface but have troubling nuances behind their everyday facades. Veering around the emotional crossroads of a mid-age cop (Anthonly Lapaglia) and his confusions over a minor infidelity with a woman in his Salsa class, the movie covers the intertwined lives of a few couples. Amidst this very realistic chronicle of relationships in our modern condition, a woman is murdered (or is she?). We are led into the mystery as subtly as we are led out of it.
This richly layered narrative feels of a texture akin to "The Insider" and is carried almost entirely by the super smooth direction. Supported almost perfectly by Kelley's haunting soundtrack (e.g., the guitar chords on "Whats happening to us" or the stirring "Te Busco" by Celia Cruz).
If you don't mind a mildly fairy-tale denouement where several circles fit snugly into several squares, this is a wholesome treat you should definitely try to watch if you can.
Movie Review: Superb drama, great script, fine acting
Summary: 5 Stars
"Lantana", one of the best independent films of last year and winner of numerous awards in its native Australia, is an adult movie in the positive sense of the term. On its surface, it's a murder mystery, but its real focus is on the relationships of several couples whose lives intersect in extraordinary and unexpected ways.Leon [Anthony LaPaglia] is a career cop whose relationship his wife, Sonja [Kerry Armstrong], has reached an impasse. Bored and distracted, he begins an affair with Jane [Rachael Blake], who is separated from her husband. Her next door neighbors, in whom she has an almost unhealthy interest, are a young couple just stating out in life. Then there is John and Valerie [Geoffrey Rush and Barbara Hershey. He's a professor, and she's a therapist. Their happy marriage has been shattered recently by the death of their young daughter. A horrific event will occur that will test each of these couples. Not all will survive.
Lantana, by the way, is a lovely flowering plant which grows so aggressively in Australia that it has become a problem. Likewise, a relationship can start beautifully but later become overrun by need and emotion. The movie examines this phenomenon in an intelligent and heart-wrenching way.
Movie Review: Brilliance and Wisdom
Summary: 5 Stars
If a film can be said to take one's breath away, then this one most certainly does. The interwoven plots and characters bring together a handful of Sydney's citizens for what proves to be a pivotal moment for them all. In fact, this release is better seen on DVD than in theatres because it almost demands to be seen over and over again as its secret geometry reveals itself to the viewer. (Wait! Is that guy in the Chinese restaurant the same one who got a bloody nose on the street half hour ago?) While the story is about life and change, it is mostly about what we need in order to be in a relationship. It demands that we look at the courage and faith we must possess just to keep loving another human being.There are no words to describe the perfection of Geoffrey Rush's portrait of loss. He nearly shimmers with pain. Anthony La Paglia's cop is absolutely his finest moment and I cannot believe the joy of watching Daniela Farinacci's performance. (are those two married in real life?) While the name of the actress who portrays Sonja escapes my memory, her performance never will as her performance is a lesson in what it means to be a grown-up.
See this movie when you can. You will be changed by its beauty.